How Things Change
by Alli Wayne
Summary: Random AU Bruce/Barbara fluff that I wrote when I got bored.


She couldn't believe it had _really_ been that long since her parents had died, and it had _really_ been that long since she had moved in with Bruce. She had been a little older than fifteen when her father had been killed in action, her "mother" who was truly her Aunt, couldn't take care of her seeing as she was all the way in Chicago. Barbara hadn't wanted to move from Gotham, so she had moved in with Bruce, after begging and pleading and she had gotten her way.

Six year later, and she was still there, and while she had been with him since he had decided to be a vigilante, she hadn't joined him until she had seen that he had needed her help. She had donned the Batgirl mask and she was still in the spot she had been when she had been nineteen. While she had grown up with Bruce as her older brother figure, as the years passed, she realized that no matter how old Bruce was she wouldn't care for anyone else like she did him.

Age ain't nothing but a number baby.

Besides what was six years? He had been 21 when she was fifteen, and she was now twenty-one and he was twenty-seven. Her parents had been around that much of a different age gap as well, of course she knew how that had ended. A messy split-up and her father getting sloppy on his job, they had their reasons though. She couldn't see Bruce marrying her and then having an affair.

Not that Bruce would ever marry her to begin with, hell he didn't even know she liked, no, loved him. How was she expecting him to marry her if he didn't know? They lived in the same home, and Alfred saw the way she looked at him, but the big bad Batman couldn't see it. He was too busy trying to fight for justice and all she wanted was for him to notice her. Maybe he didn't think the same way about her, maybe he still saw her as that same dorky little girl that had followed him around like a lost puppy as a child. She still did.

No matter what he told her to do, she'd do it. It wasn't all that surprising. She had always done what he had said, he had never told her to go do something ridiculous like jump off a bridge or anything, so she doubted she'd listen to him when he said silly things like that. She turned and looked at herself in the mirror, her hair was a mess, she wished it was shorter and she didn't have to be responsible for so much… fluff.

She looked decent, for a simple Friday night. Bruce was taking it off, so he had given her the night as well. She had dressed up in a blue dress similar to Alice's, except more… fancy? With Bruce's support she could buy as many pretty dresses as she liked, and he didn't mind one bit. She fluffed her hair in the mirror and she walked downstairs to find him by the fire.

Was it bad to be longing after someone that was so far out of her league? No, probably not, a lot of girls pined and wished for Bruce Wayne to pay attention to _them_. Only thing she had that they didn't: she lived with him.

"Bruce, what are you planning on doing tonight? It's going to boring if you're going to waste your night off all alone…" She stepped towards the living room, tilting her head at him, waiting for his eyes to leave the fire and look at her. They didn't exactly move very quickly, but when they did, he definitely noticed she was dressed up.

"Going somewhere?" He asked, eyebrows raised at her, and she couldn't help but smile softly. If he didn't realize what her intentions were, she didn't know what she was going to do with herself.

"Nowhere special, are you staying in?"

"Perhaps…"

"Need company?"

"You're not all dressed up with nowhere to go are you?"

"More or less yes…"

"Aw poor Babs."

"Shut up Bruce."

"You know you love me…"

The way he said it completely threw her off and she stared at him with wide brown eyes, heat went to her cheeks and she looked down at her feet. She wanted to say: No I don't, but it would have been a lie and she was blushing too hard to lie to him now. When she looked back up again he was raising his eyebrows at her, "Babs… you okay?"

_No, because you know me too well and it _bugs_ me. You shouldn't know me this well… why do you have to know me so well…?_ She thought this curiously as she tried to think of something to say to him. She somehow made eye contact again, "I'm fine…" She bit the inside of her cheek and went back to looking at the carpet. He completely caught her off guard when he pulled her over the side of the couch and into his lap.

"You're lying to me. You _never_ lie to me."

"Mmm, are you Superman now? Reading my thoughts and all…?" She softly giggled and cheeks still red from the fact he was holding her tightly in his arms. He didn't want to let go, and she didn't want him to do it either. He kissed her cheek, something he hadn't done since they were children, and she had been considerably younger than him so when she had done anything cute he kissed her cheek to get her even more flustered. Of course then she'd just make faces and claim he had cooties.

Well things had changed quite a bit hadn't they? "No, I just _know_ you Barbara. You can't live in my home for six years and not expect me to know when you lie to me. Besides, you're blushing too hard for you be okay. You only blush like this when you're around a cute boy you're trying to impress."

"Ego much, Bruce?"

"I meant _besides_ me."

"Uh-huh. I might have to smash that ego a little bit."

"Batman doesn't _have_ trouble with the---"

"Ladies, until you know the papers started saying Batman and Batgirl had a _thing_. Then they kind of backed off. So… _nuh_."

The childish noise she made at him made him laugh and he tightened his arms around her. Not many people got to see Bruce when he was in one of his good moods, the kind of moods that he grabbed her and pulled her in his lap. Not that she was complaining, there was no way in _hell_ she was complaining. She was quite comfortable where she was and she didn't want him to let go.

"You scare them away, with your ginger powers."

"Dear Lord, Bruce Wayne just made a joke about me being a ginger, please someone call the papers."

"They'd probably enjoy the story…"

"Blow it up, and get one of the horrible pictures of me they have."

"Besides the one where…"

"No, Bruce, don't even _bring_ that up. I was _drunk_."

"You were **something**."

"I know where you sleep, Wayne."

"I can say the same to you, Gordon."

"I'm so _scared_…"

"You should be."

"Bruce…?"

"Hmm?"

She turned her body where she was facing him, and pressed her nose against his. She played with his hair as she locked eyes with him. "So, you think I think you're cute?"

"Something like that, seeing as everything seems to be pointing to that." She pressed her lips to his, and he blinked his eyes before shutting them and kissing her back. It was amazing how things changed from a platonic friendship to a romantic relationship.

Barbara wasn't complaining. She liked the spot she was in with him and she wasn't wanting to move or change. She was happy and so was he as far as she could tell.

"Bruce Wayne doesn't seem to be having problems with the ladies either."

"Oh, whatever would give you that idea?"

"Shut up you."


End file.
